The rebellion in Graz was quickly suppressed, barely causing a ripple.
Adolf ordered the roads leading out of Graz to be cut off, then continuously bombarded Graz, forcing the rebels to sally forth and engage him in a decisive battle.
After the rebels left the city, Adolf did not employ the Wagenburg tactic, but instead directly outflanked them with superior forces from both wings, using heavy cavalry squadrons to lead the charge and crush the rebels.
Baron Albrecht also "unfortunately" suffered a crossbow bolt wound during the battle and died on the battlefield.
For this, Laszlo specially held a solemn memorial service and repented for a day in the church to cleanse himself of the sin of fratricide.
Laszlo had long been accustomed to such hypocrisy; sometimes, putting on a show was just that useful.
If he had heard of a relative's death and appeared happy, even if that relative had died in a war against him, someone would seize the opportunity to attack and slander him.
Furthermore, doing so was also to dispel Frederick's resentment and dissatisfaction, though this concern seemed superfluous, as Frederick did not care much about his ungrateful younger brother.
The shadow of the Venetians loomed behind this rebellion; Laszlo received intelligence that Venice, Poland, and France seemed to have secretly formed a tripartite alliance, and Austria, currently undergoing internal reforms, was not suitable for another war.
At present, development was more important.
However, at Adolf's suggestion, Laszlo decided to permanently station the Austro-Hungarian Army in Graz; half of this army's military expenses would be borne by the Vienna government, and the remaining half would be apportioned to the Styria state government and the Estates Assembly.
The Styria Estates Assembly, having just undergone a purge, had no ability to bargain with the Emperor; with the Imperial Army's blade at their necks, they very consciously surrendered the right to levy taxes that they had long held, completely becoming a tool for the Emperor to collect additional taxes from all social strata, just like other Austrian provincial assemblies.
Austria had gotten on track, not only initiating the process of modern centralization but also experiencing vigorous economic development, truly a scene of vibrant life and all things competing.
Shortly after the New Year, Laszlo had a sudden idea: he entrusted state affairs to Eyczing and Aeneas, and then, with his attendants and guards, traveled from Vienna to Innsbruck to inspect Austria's first armory.
The Alps were already covered in silver, and Laszlo could only order the entire cavalry unit to lead their horses and trek with difficulty along the snow-covered mountain roads.
The difficult sections were not long, but they still made Laszlo dissatisfied.
"These fellows, all they do is slack off; the easy roads they widen to make them even easier, but the difficult roads they don't even look at, remaining as difficult as before. Wasn't my money for road construction wasted?"
Laszlo complained to Matthias beside him.
Matthias wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, looked back at the mountain road they had come from, and said, "This mountain road is limited by the terrain; widening it would probably cost a lot of money, wouldn't it?"
"Money, money, money! Everything needs money, it's truly annoying!"
Laszlo felt that no matter how much money he earned, it was never enough, because there were always places where money was needed.
But then he thought, wasn't money meant to be spent?
The key was to spend it in the right places.
What counted as appropriate? If it could strengthen the army, enrich the nation, allow the people to live in peace and prosperity, and deter foreign enemies, then the money was well spent.
If all the money was used for enjoyment and reparations, wouldn't that be like a parasite?
Rather than leaving money for future generations to squander, it was more practical to do something meaningful himself.
Laszlo's thoughts drifted back from afar, drawn by the beautiful scenery before him.
Innsbruck in winter felt like a snow-covered wonderland sealed by time.
In the distance, the Alps stretched endlessly, their peaks adorned with thick caps of snow, shining with a sacred light under the sunlight.
In the city, pointed buildings were scattered in an orderly fashion, gently enveloped by snow, like a town from a fairy tale.
Such beautiful scenery could only be seen in winter.
He felt a little regretful that he hadn't brought Leonor along; it was truly a pity she couldn't see such beautiful scenery.
Soon, the entourage arrived at the royal castle on the mountain outside Innsbruck, which also housed the Habsburg Family's summer residence; although slightly smaller in scale, this was undoubtedly Leonor's longed-for summer palace.
From here, one could get an excellent view, overlooking all of Innsbruck.
Laszlo knew that in the original timeline, this place would be expanded seventy years later by a certain Duke of the Habsburg Family, becoming a magnificent palace wonder named Ambras Castle.
Perhaps he could build this wonder ahead of time? Taking the royal family to the cool Innsbruck for the summer would be a wonderful thing.
Laszlo recalled his honeymoon trip with Leonor after their marriage; the first stop was here, and it was summer at the time, leaving them with very fond memories.
Coming here to escape the summer heat could save the expense of building a summer palace in Vienna; after all, expanding an existing palace would certainly be cheaper than building a new one from scratch.
Let future emperors do extravagant things like building Schönbrunn Palace; he had neither the inclination nor the ability for that now.
In fact, even expanding Ambras Castle was not an easy task for him now—there was also a gold-devouring beast outside Innsbruck: the Innsbruck Armory.
Laszlo had not forgotten the purpose of his trip; after a night of rest, he went straight to the armory.
The factory construction here was complete, and a fortress had also been built to guard the armory, but awkwardly, not enough craftsmen were willing to come to the armory to serve the Emperor.
This resulted in the armory being able to produce various armors, weapons, and military supplies required by the Imperial Army, but with severely insufficient production capacity.
The craftsmen selected talented young people from Innsbruck as apprentices, and they were currently in the training phase, with the armory's production capacity gradually increasing.
However, it would likely take a long wait for the Innsbruck Armory to be able to independently supply all the military equipment needed by the entire army.
After all, only a few craftsmen were willing to leave their homes and come to this remote mountainous area to serve the Emperor; many were unwilling to leave the city where they had lived for many years for a completely unfamiliar place.
Even Laszlo was helpless about this; ultimately, it was because the pay was too low, but adding more money would greatly exceed the budget.
However, his main purpose in coming this time was to explore a possibility.
Smith, a blacksmith from Nuremberg, forged swords, cannons, and guns for the Emperor's army.
And on this day, the Emperor, visiting the armory, made a new request of him.
"A new gunpowder weapon?"
Smith fell into contemplation; he wasn't sure what kind of weapon the Emperor was referring to. Based on his past experience in forging hand cannons and cannons, a gunpowder weapon was a type of armor-piercing weapon that used the power of gunpowder explosions to propel projectiles and cause damage, but the accuracy and convenience of such weapons were very poor.
"Is it possible to design a delicate structure," Laszlo described the weapon from his memory, "that can improve the accuracy of firearms and simplify the loading process?"
Smith pondered for a moment, but for a short time, he really couldn't think of a way to meet the Emperor's demands. He could only shake his head helplessly, worried about incurring the Emperor's punishment.
Laszlo did not blame the craftsman; instead, he directly pulled out a drawing he had personally sketched from his pocket. Although it was a bit crude, one could still make out what it depicted.
He patiently explained to Smith: "This is the new type of firearm I described: a wooden stock nested with a barrel, with a buttstock at the rear of the stock to aid in aiming—similar to a crossbow. The most crucial part is the firing mechanism at the ignition point. I need you to design a trigger mechanism that, by rotating, causes the matchcord to ignite the priming powder in the pan, which then ignites the propellant in the barrel to fire the projectile. The loading process is similar to a hand cannon. This type of weapon only requires one soldier to operate. Do you understand?"
"Ah, Your Majesty, this trigger mechanism you described has already been used on crossbows. We only need a spring leaf and a catch to create this structure. Pulling the trigger releases the catch, and the force of the spring leaf will push the hammer above, bringing the matchcord to the powder pan you mentioned, igniting the powder to complete the firing. I think I know what kind of new firearm you want."
Smith looked at Laszlo's crude hand-drawn sketch and quickly understood what the Emperor was asking for.
Laszlo was slightly stunned. The prerequisite technologies had all been researched, so why hadn't the matchlock gun appeared yet?
"Can you make this thing?"
"The barrel and firing mechanism are definitely not a problem. Although I can also make the stock and base, a carpenter would certainly do it better."
"How long do you think it would take to make such a firearm?"
"It depends on your requirements. If there are no rifling grooves, it can be made within half a month. But if rifling needs to be processed, the workload will greatly increase, and the scrap rate of the barrel will also rise accordingly. The production cycle might extend to a month or even longer."
"Rifling?" Laszlo was dumbfounded. Was this a word that should exist in this era?